Award-winning actor Christopher Walken is an iconic legend. He has easily attained his standing as a triumphant star in film, television, and on the stage. Recognized for his haughty tone and eccentric characters, Walken always delivers a performance that audiences pay attention to.
And with his recent appearance in the hit series Severance, it is obvious Walken is not letting up on the gas any time soon. Whether it is muttering profound truths in Seven Psychopaths or hurling quips in Balls of Fury, Christopher Walken's characters have had plenty to say over the years.
10 "I Am Certain You Will Remain With Me … In Some Deep… Unaccessible Corner Of My Mind." - 'Severance' (2022)
Lumon Industries utilizes a medical technique to split the consciousness of their employees between their lives at work and outside of work in the TV series Severance. The only understanding employees have of their "outies" (outside lives) is videotaped messages the company requires the outies to record for specific reasons.
Burt Goodman (Walken) is the department head in the Optics and Design division. His outie leaves a long and sincere thank you video to the OD employees for working with them but not knowing them when he retires from the department. Walken as Goodman is sweet and soft, a surprisingly different character than he typically plays, and viewers adored it.
9 "You're talking to me all wrong... It's the wrong tone." - ‘Joe Dirt’ (2001)
The movie Joe Dirt recounts the story of the mullet hairdo janitor hero Joe Dirt (David Spade) and his quest to find his parents. Along the way, a radio DJ (Dennis Miller) brings Joe on the radio to mock him, but eventually, the entire city roots for him to find his parents.
Walken portrays Clem Doore in the movie, and while the part is brief, it is hilarious. Doore is a former New York City mobster now in the Witness Protection Program. His character furnishes several unforgettable lines, primarily while practicing hypothetical situations and conversing with a mop.
8 "When You're In Love...She Can Tell You That Gandhi Ate Hot Dogs And You'll Believe Her" - 'Man of the Year' (2006)
In the movie Man of the Year, Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams), a political talk show host, decides to make a run for the office of president. When a computer glitch incorrectly awarded him the presidency, he must decide whether to stay the course or head back to hosting his talk radio show.
In Man of the Year, Walken exemplifies the role of Jack Menken, Dobbs's rough, sarcastic manager. Walken is especially Walken in this role with his unexpected pausing and snarky observations.
7 "Less talkie-talkie, more ping-pong." - 'Balls of Fury' (2007)
Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler), once a ping-pong prodigy, is recruited by the FBI to penetrate an underground ping-pong death match led by Feng (Walken) in the movie Balls of Fury. With the aid of Master Wong (James Hong) and his niece Maggie (Maggie Q), he is soon ready to take on the challenge.
Walken is the fundamental grounds to watch this movie, as he is both bizarre and charming. He is intrinsically funny. Between the repetitive ping-pong ball crotch-shots jokes are fantastic quips that only Walken can deliver.
6 "This Is America, Babe, You Gotta Think Big To Be Big" - ‘Hairspray’ (2007)
The movie Hairspray takes place in 1960s Baltimore and features Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) when she tries out for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and succeeds. Her overnight celebrity status brings racial integration to the forefront of the show.
Walken gets to put to use his classically trained dancing background to work in this movie. He plays the patriarch of the family, Wilbur Turnblad, who is as supportive as he is devoted. Walken has a superb singing and dancing duet with John Travolta, which is one of the film's finest scenes.
5 "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." - 'Seven Psychopaths' (2012)
Marty Faranan (Colin Farrell) is a screenplay writer with a title for a movie but no story in the film Seven Psychopaths. His buddies Hans (Walken) and Billy (Sam Rockwell) abduct the beloved pooch of a gangster (Woody Harrelson), and Marty uses the subsequent events as the story for his screenplay.
Walken shines in this dark comedy that takes a bitting view of both the writing process and the extraordinarily violent genre of movies Hollywood has been creating. Walken's character Hans is gentle, benign, and religious. Walken portrays him skillfully and with an ambiance of secrecy.
4 "I Wish I Could Hand Out World Peace And Unconditional Love, Wrapped In A Big Bow." - 'Batman Returns' (1992)
The villain Penguin (Danny DeVito) shows up in Gotham and pairs up with Max Shreck (Walken) to bring the Batman (Michael Keaton) down once and for all. When Shrek tries to kill his assistant Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer), she becomes Catwoman in Tim Burton's Batman Returns.
Walken's exceptional performance as Shreck makes him one of the best villains in any of the Batman movies. He is unbelievably merciless as the character and is more of a baddie than Penguin is at times. Dark, abrasive, and seriously unsettling, Walken produces a genuine Burton villain.
3 "Well, you know what they say. A bullet always tells the truth." - 'Man on Fire' (2004)
The movie Man on Fire discloses the tale of ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Denzel Washington) when he takes a job as a bodyguard for 9-year-old Lupita (Dakota Fanning). As Creasy and Lupita grow tighter, she is kidnapped, and he must locate her.
Walken's character Paul Rayburn is the one who persuades Creasy to take up the job of a bodyguard. The development of the friendship between Walken's character and Washington's is endearing to watch in such an action-based movie. Rayburn allows the audience to see Walken as the friend and confidant they always wanted without all the mayhem and murdering.
2 "Well, I Must Have Been Away Too Long Because My Feelings Are Dead." - 'King Of New York' (1990)
New York City drug kingpin Frank White (Walken) departs prison committed to wiping out all his competition in the movie King of New York. His top goal is to spread the earnings of his operations to the city's poor, but he soon learns that is harder than he imagined.
Walken's performance as White is quintessential Walken. It has an erratic, slightly ominous aspect, packed with flighty smirks. Walken also presents White with a slight Jimmy Cagney-ish feel with his tough guy, animated style, and fierce energy.
1 "The way your dad looked at it, this watch was your birthright." - 'Pulp Fiction' (1994)
In the movie Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega (Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen for gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). The movie follows various other characters' storylines intertwined with Wallace's.
Captain Koons is a smallish part, but Walken delivers it with sincerity and passion. His monologue has become iconic and often quoted. The scene combines sincerity and sentiment with a bit of ridiculousness and a touch of lunacy on top, which is perfectly Walken.